Tag Archives: pianos louisville

There’s an app for that!?! Learning how to play any instrument, especially piano, has changed a lot in recent years. Gone are the days where the only way to learn your notes was to use your rubber-banded flash cards, and learning to count with the monotonous click-click of your metronome was the only way to master new rhythms! Yup, there are apps for that – actually TONS of apps!

Let’s face it, kids these days (and some of us adults) love using our electronics. An iPad or tablet is often a requirement for kids to use in school. Therefore, it is not a huge leap to find that you can do so much musical learning in a fun and innovative way on your own wireless device. And another popular way to get information? You got it, social media! We have started a most excellent board on our Pinterest page for you to easily find some of the greatest apps to use with your piano, especially Roland pianos. You’ll find a few listed below, but keep checking out our Roland Piano Apps board as we add new apps all the time!

Rhythm Cat – Perfect for iOS and Android device, this app helps beginning piano students learn from day one! Students learn to count and develop their listening skills without even realizing they are actually doing the work!

Piano Maestro – A personal favorite, Piano Maestro is a great resource for any piano student. From learning “classical” pieces, to One Direction, students have the opportunity to improve their rhythm skills and piano technique while learning and performing songs with fun musical accompaniments. It’s like playing with a band! Better yet, it’s free and can be used with any digital AND acoustic piano.

Sheet Music Reader – You can be one of the “cool kids” and ditch the pile of books that you carry around with missing covers and torn pages. Now you can carry your music in your trusty iOS device with this great app. Scan your music and save to Sheet Music Reader, or purchase new music. You have a lot of options! You can even mark up the music as much as you want. Need to write in that pesky F# accidental? No problem. But what about turning pages? With your Roland HP-600 series piano (or later), connect your iPad via Bluetooth (yes, you read that correctly….Bluetooth!) to the piano and turn the pages with the push of a pedal. If you’re an Android user, check out the similar MobileSheets Pro app.

But wait, there’s more! Go visit our Pinterest page to find more great apps to use on your piano learning adventure (Yes, there is even a app for the very popular Piano Adventures series that is perfect for using with your Roland piano). Follow the Roland Piano Apps board to make sure you don’t miss out!

Easily the most popular question my acoustic piano clients ask me is how often they should tune their new or used piano. Understandably, folks who spent the money to purchase a quality instrument want to make sure the value of their investment won’t diminish due to neglect or their own lack of experience. It’s no different from a first-time car buyer asking the dealership how often (s)he should change the new car’s oil. Most people understand the importance of protecting their investments. Unfortunately, while it’s considered common knowledge that a car requires an oil change every 3000 miles, most people have absolutely no idea how often they should tune their piano. Continue reading →

I have often said that people think there’s “nothing new under the sun” in the piano business. We’re dealing with an instrument that is over 300 years old and has changed relatively little. Most teachers, technicians and private owners have chosen their favorite brands years ago, firmly plugged their fingers into their ears and begun to hum loud enough to drown out any new information that might contradict their traditional view of the piano world. For those of us who work with current piano information on a daily basis, this is extremely frustrating.

One of the biggest challenges I face as a piano expert is finding others in my community who understand the value of modern piano tools. It’s not easy to find someone who will ask their students to play along with a CD, record a MIDI file or – gasp – practice their scales with a drum rhythm instead of a metronome. However, I occasionally have the fortune of encountering one of these enlightened souls and I want to share her relatively unique story with you. Continue reading →

Welcome

Everywhere we go, we find that people love to talk about pianos. Do you have a question? Do you have a favorite piece or a piano memory you'd like to share? This is your forum. Send your questions to info@gistpianocenter.com and we'll answer them here. We'll also share our favorite piano stories from all across The MidWest. Stay tuned! There's more to come.